Birmingham Seaholm junior battling it out on golf course By Christian Davis ORCHARD LAKE — Birmingham junior Kyle Woodruff took a couple practice swings, addressed the ball, and as his father joked, “hit a snake.” Woodruff admitted that his drive April 28 on the first hole of the Orchard Lake Country Club wasn’t his best swing of the season, but he’s out there playing and helping his Seaholm teammates earn a few wins. More important than a wayward drive or two is his attitude and love of the game, which have endeared him to his coach and his teammates. From the tee box, Woodruff is just like his teammates — sometimes long and straight, and other times a bit off line. But when the players begin their walk down the fairway, it becomes clear that he is a bit different. When Woodruff was 2, he was diagnosed with Dysgenesis of the corpus callosum, which is a neurological disorder that causes some motor skill issues with his legs. “He has no problem swinging a golf club, but he can’t walk nine holes with a bag over his shoulder. It just wears him out too much,” said Woodruff’s father, Dave. “It would be like if you were walking on legs that were constantly tense.” Over the years, he’s been through countless rehab sessions and has been given inner-muscle botox shots to help loosen up the muscles. On the course, he uses a cart in his matches, which the Michigan High School Athletic Association and opposing coaches have endorsed wholeheartedly. But even still, finishing a round can leave him spent. “I just tend to get tired easily,” Kyle Woodruff said before he started his match with Farmington High. “My legs just kind of wear down on me and I get cramps a lot.” Woodruff, 17, has spent the past two seasons, and part of this one, on junior varsity. Recently, however, he’s been putting in some time with the varsity squad. Seaholm coach Leon Braisted III said Kyle Woodruff earned his spot on the team. “He came out that first day and shot a reasonable number, compared to everyone else,” Braisted said of Woodruff. “He’s just one of the kids. “I’m hearing impaired, and I don’t want anyone to give me anything special. It doesn’t sound like he wants anything special.” Along with providing depth to the Maples’ lineup, Braisted said Kyle Woodruff has also provided character for the team. “They’re encouraged and motivated,” the coach said of his players. “Because here’s a person that could just not play and say, ‘I have a disability.’ But if you ask him, he doesn’t have a disability. He just wants to play.” “He’s just a good person,” senior captain Sean Grant said of his teammate. “It’s nice to see him doing what he wants to do … and I admire him for that.” Kyle Woodruff doesn’t put a lot of stock into the fact that he faces some challenges that his teammates and opponents don’t. Instead, he offers responses like, “it’s just all part of the game” and, “we all have our rough patches.” More than the golf cart, it’s that attitude that sets him apart on the course. “Kyle just doesn’t let anything get him down, and that’s what we love about him,” Dave Woodruff said. “Every year since he’s been at Seaholm, he’s said, ‘I want to go play on the golf team.’ He’s gone out, gone to tryouts and he’s done it. That’s what makes us proud.” You can reach Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1062. |
